Laws of Power (7)

Get Others To Do The Work For You, But Always Take The Credit

“Use the wisdom, knowledge and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a god-like aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you”.

Any wise person can see the usefulness of this… any wise person can see how deceitful this is. However everyone I know of who is successful has done this: from Warren Buffet to Steve Jobs. Warren doesn’t place most of the trades taken under Berkshire, yet he gets all the praise (Berkshire Hathaway 2016). Steve Jobs didn’t create anything new… all Apple’s ideas were based on other innovations and non-updated patented work. Yet Steve Jobs is noted as one of the most innovative people of the 21st century (Farber, 2014).

If I – for example – started an investment firm in the future: I would always give credit to those who made great investments and let that be known to the public. Why can we not shine together? I never fear being outshone. If anything, those who would work for me would make my brand and me evermore illuminated by their excellence.

Therefore, it is notable that this law works and works well. From writers hiring ghost-writers to those in the investment field who take all the glory for their subordinates’ actions. However, one must look within to see whether this aligns to one’s personal code of ethics. For me it does not and so I refuse to follow this rule. But you are your own person so that is for you to decide.

There is much to be known. Life is short and life is not life without knowledge. It is therefore an excellent device to acquire knowledge from everybody. Thus, by the swear of another’s brow you win the reputation of being an oracle – Baltasar Gracian (Greene, 2002)